She stopped smiling when she said that as she waved her hand from the bottom to the top as if gesturing at the vastness of the Mind Realm.

Illyan looked upwards, but then he noticed something that made him freeze.

The body of Zephyr that stood before him started to move in more and more strange ways.

It was at that moment when he noticed that her limbs and even other body parts like her head were tied up to strings.

‘These are…!’

Illyan almost gasped loudly.

He recognized them.

These translucent yet grey strings that he saw connected to himself back at the citadel…

“What in the world…” Illyan muttered to himself as he stared at them and looked upwards to see where they were going.

And it was then, when he looked up, that he saw the strings going into the dark clouds that weren’t there before.

They covered the entire sky, and even these two serpents were not visible.

As he stared at these clouds, his mind drifted as if he lost control over his body as his point of view rose towards the clouds, leaving the body behind.

The situation was so absurd that he didn’t even make a sound while he passed through these clouds.

The strange feeling made him blink once, and immediately after…

“Huh?”

When he finally opened his eyes, his entire perspective changed.

He sat down on a luxurious chair with a small table in front of him.

The surroundings were dark as if he sat in the midst of nothingness.

Having nothing else to focus on, he turned back to look in front of him.

On the table, a small game board was in the middle of play with two puppets on strings.

One was that of Zephyr, whose leg was missing, and the second was a small caricature of Illyan.

Long dark hair, large frame, and glistening golden eyes.

His puppet’s strings were connected to his own fingers until now, but they seemed to snap the moment he woke up.

On the other hand, the second set of strings was leading towards the chair opposite him.

The moment he turned his attention in that direction, he felt a shift in his perception as he noticed a person sitting across from him that wasn’t there before.

Or at least it felt like that.

Looking them right in the eyes, Illyan finally saw who he was dealing with.

Tall yet elegant.

Mysterious yet approachable.

It was a woman with long hair that was reaching her heels. Although they were a form of blue shade, they were so dark that those inattentive would consider them black.

She herself was as tall as Illyan, sitting there elegantly with one leg over the other and arms lazily laid on the table, playing with the puppet.

Her face was covered with the brim of a hat.

It was a hat that was unlike anything else he had ever seen.

A tall, conical hat with a wide, floppy brim and a pointed tip that curled slightly at the end.

There wasn’t anything special about it, but the design itself looked foreign in Illyan’s eyes.

As he stared, the lady lifted her head that was staring at these puppets, and her brim finally revealed her face.

Her face, unlike anything else Illyan had ever seen, was the most beautiful sight Illyan could imagine.

Even Aurelia’s beauty paled in comparison.

It was truly an unparalleled beauty.

Yet, Illyan almost didn't even register it as he was lost in her eyes.

Those eyes that looked like the starry night itself.

He saw beyond what mere mortals could understand as the universe unfolded in front of him.

The cosmic constellations rose and fell as he stared into the past, present, and future at the same time.

Millions of worlds, filled with trillions of lives, yet so insignificant as mere specks of dust in the large scope of the universe.

“I apologize that we met in this way after such a long time, but please allow me at least to introduce myself.”

The lady’s lips curled up softly. Although she didn’t release any aura, just her presence alone made Illyan sense the grandeur, elegance, and even power that lay beneath that appearance of hers.

‘Don’t tell me she is…’

But Illyan was still a man without adoration.

He quickly recovered from the reverie like a man with a heart of stone and fell into thought.

A thought that the woman confirmed within a heartbeat with a soft laugh.

“As you already guessed, you know me under one of the names I have. Zephyr. You may continue to call me that way since you won’t be able to bear to hear my True Name.”

The woman smirked as her eyes literally glittered in amusement.

“However, this kind of introduction would be too coarse of me, so listen properly.”

She waved her hand as the darkness enveloping them retreated as many stars lit up the otherwise empty surroundings.

Galaxies opened up and the colors shone brightly.

She stopped smiling as she straightened her back with a sense of dignity.

"̢̒́Ị̊ b̘̖̖͕̖̠̊̽ͯḗ͎͉̱̭ä̳̖̯́́͘̚̕͢͜͡r a̠̓s̲̓ͨͥ͋͗ m̡͚͑̕͜a̷̩ͩ͜ny̠̞ͩ̋ͮ́̎̕ ǹ̴̖͚̉̕am̱͈ę͉̘͖̊͛͆͆̇͢s̨̯͔̦͇͇̄ͮ̉ a̵̝̞͐ͦͩ̈̀s͛ tͪ̍h̶̯͖̫̲̿ͬ͋ͩ͠ê̜r̫̖͉͛̃e̡̛̱͐ ǎ̢̢͚̹̝̌͊̚ͅr̼ȩ̳̮̙̳ͯ́͐̐ s̙̹ͬͤ̈ͭ̎t͇͍́̆ͤ́̚͘͠â̮͎̠̟̰̮̖̔̒͐ř̤̥̙̟͘͜s s͉̱̠̖ͬ͗͐c̓ǎ̆t̢̫ͤtè̸̸͙ͮ̉ͤ̅ͣ͡r͎̞̪̭͂ͦ̽͠ę̷̨͖̩d̸̤̙̿͐́ a͇̜̞ͭͣ͆ͭc̫̜̮̩̱̏ͦṟ̨̩́͟o̟̝͇̽ͪͬ͂͢͠s̫̪͋͊ͧs̶͖̯͍̥̾̆̕ th̬̖̝ͭ̈̒ͩ̎e s̢͖̈ͥ͗k̨͗ͩ̆ḭ̢̥̓̀͘̚͜͞e̢̢̨̛͎̥͈̿̂ͥṡ̶̮̭̥̊.̱́̀͛̚ I̴̞ a͜m t̮̆́͘ḧè̢͕̻̹͇͇ͣ͛̑͊ Ô̄̓͑ͦt͈̘̻̟̖̜̞͛ͥ̃͘h͔̤̫ͪ̔͞͠eͅŗͧ̉ͬ̽́̿ͤ͡wͫ̏o͓͔̳̿̓̆̋̓̏r̻͖͍̱̫̂ͬḷ̥̿ͦͯ̆ͬͬd̖̣͚ͮ͊̆͗ͅę̘͖͈ͬͦͦ̑̿̀r̛̬̉,ͦ̅ t̴̢̹͖̠̰̑͊͗́ͅh͊ͫͥͥ̈ͣ͘͘e̳ͮ o̞ͥͤͅñ̞̐̽̐̄ȩ͖̩̔̾͆̉́͞ who̶̧̟͈͔͚̒̊͢ haŝ j̩̠̖̆ͨ͑̓͜ö̸́͢͜ṳ͡r̙ṅ̩ͨ͝e͟y̨̠ͩͣ͒ͩ̈́e̸̶̘̎͑͞d̙̻̞̕ t̢͔͙̣̹̫̹̭̀̆̄h̨̹̉͐͜͝r͊̓ỏ̷̸̧̡̙͈̥͙ͅu̞g̏̑ͦh͉̞̹͛ͯ a̵͋̂̏͛ll̜͆̏ͧ̚ s̏̍̾ͫ͛t̖a̵̴̗͍ͧ̌̔͝r̹ͦ̀́s̬͆͐̃ͯ an͝d̳̦̬̥ͭ̋̊̒̓̃͞ a̗͈̐c̳̘̩̫͆ͩr͂ơ̥s̵̻͍̺͓̊͒ͥ͊͘͝s e̯v̱̪̬̓̀̑̾́e̢̪̦ͫͧ̃͊ͬͫ̔͠r͋̈́̏y w̋ǫ̟ͨͣ̉̔ͮ̾̇r̪̼̄̑l̛̻͍̰͗ͪd.̔͠ I̖̓ͣ̈͊̚ ä̵̫́̄͘͠ͅm̫̎ t̢͍͇ͨ͌̽̌ḩ̭̮ͣͦ̓ḛ̀ w̷͈ͬͪh͔͓̅ͪ̀͢ĩ̷̱͈̀ͫ͗r̡̘̣̜͉̀ͬͤl̥̩̱ͧ̿̎̀̚w͈̓̾̒̽i̴̗̪̰͋͐̽nd̮̟̉̉ͥ͟ o̵͚̮͉̫̐ͥ̿ͧf̛̭͘ f̡̱̙̪̯̍ͣ͑̑͊͜r̭ͨ̏e̷͖̠̟ͬͧ͗͐ę̴̧͈͈͓̠̈͝d̡̻̠̩̺̋̄́ͭ͡oͅm,̶̳͕͛̈͒̂̎̓ t̝͕̯̜̙ͯ̋̾͠h͈̳̮ͬe̡̹ͅ ḻ̸̦͔̞̰́̀̎ǐ͙̬̼ͭ̈g̨̞ͥ̀͋͟ͅḧ̞̑ͯ̒̃̓̓͋͘t̄n̙̪͓͙̅̌ͮ̊͑̔ì͚̦̭͐ͨ́n̤ĝ̷̞̈ ḇ̨̺͕͉͕ͧ́͜͠ǫ̪̙̣ͥr̲̰̞ͦn͕͔̩ of͔̔̂ͤ̈͐̇͊ͅ r̭̯̿̔ͯẻ̸̮̐̍̐̂̑͘t̤͎͂ͨ͌̈̄͛͝ṙ̞̲ͦ̾̅i̭̱͊̓̋̈́b͍͋u͚̯̺̘͊̀ͅt̘̭̫ͩ͂ͨ͝i̢̛̹͍̝̱ͭ̑͜͠o̷̰̞̙͎̩͆͒͛͂̊n̵̺ͮ̄.̷̳̻̌ͦ C̞̊ͧ͘͠ơ̛͙̤̹͖̠̳u̷̯ͣ͠ņ̭̼ͩ́͟͝t̼̠̬̥̀̇ͥ̚ḽ̥ͭ͡ę̶͍̥͍͇̐̐̉s̛̽ͬs̴̳̼͎̎̀ͤ̆͒ ǎ̻̞̬͖̍͐ͥ̓ͯͨr̨̪̳͎͎̰̈͒̑͘e̘̓ t̳͇͎ͮ͌ͦ́̕he͓̫̻̔ͯ̔ͦ̉͜ͅ ṅ̞͗̎à̩̠ͫͣ̓ͬm͚̑ë̷̸͓̭̭̯ͤ́̉͞sͬ̅͌ b̢̗̰ͬ̋͂ͨ̐͜y̷̗͉͎͛ͮ̇͊̃ͨ w̹̙̫̰̺ḫ͌̓́̃̈́ͧ͟i̻͖͂͊͗͞ch Į̱ ặ̻̰̆͝m̡̻̖̣̺̃̀̐ͥ̐ k̢̫n͐́̋o̮̥̤ͯ̚w̶ͤn̟̣͙͈͓͋ͣ̀̉͡͠—̲̫̙e̛̼̯̰̤ͬ̓ͫͩa̸̗̹̋ͯ͂̀ͧͧ̚̚c̰̉ͣhͫ̔́͜ ợ̹̱̈nͨ̎͟é̳̓ͮ̀̆ ą̩͓̯̮͐̈́̋̒ sp̶̨͍͕ͬ̋ͫͬ̅a̵̭̱͚̥̹̓͐̀͡͡ŗ̬̘ͥ̉̾̀̓̒͜k̅ ṳ̶̪̍́͆̑͒ͨ̅̚p̝̐ͤ̉̚͢o̧͇̬͒̔͞nͭ̌͂͋ ṱĥ̡̈́̈̔ͧ͑̚͟ę͖̾ͯ͒̀ͮ̿̚͟͜ f͇̝̳ͥ̒͂͠i̬̺ͦ̊̏̃r̩̓̅m̹ͪ̅am̞̜͙̦͕͈͚̉ͅe̷̢̤͎̋̈̓̓̅ṇ̐͘ț̴̛̘͗̌ͭ̚͞ İ̷̅̇̚ č̸̡͔̞͆̐̒͜re̩̤̰̦ͬ͡͝aṭ̞͈̬̔͌̽ͦ̏ͅë̸̶̢̛̦͔͒ͪͅd͈̘̱͚̍́̽̓̕̕̚ à̖͛ͯ͘͠n̹͈ͬͮd̐̒͘ th̷̠͚͍͍̋̑̒́͠é̶ h̴̼o͠l͗ẙ̴͓̓ͫ̾͂ͯ̕͡ l̷̵̡̠̘̠͒̀̓́ͅa̵̟ͪn̘͌̔d̯̳ͪ̂ͦ̿ͪs̘̗̭̗ͦ̾ͤ I̜̮͚̿̕ ḇ̵̷̢͉̥́ͩ̓̆éͥ͒st̘ͥ̕ͅơ̺ͪͣw͈̩̽͋̈͞e͘d̪.̕ B̷̺͇̓͌͂ͦ̔o̷̡͔̻͔̐̊͘r̗̺̬̀͜͝n͕̔̓͘ a̝͙̙͋͒͗ͫ̾s͛ͩ͜ a̧̱͗͗ͬͣͩ ẁ͇̘͢͞i̲̦͓̅ͮ́͠ͅt̠̫̣̳̜̓́̉̈́̈̓c̷̷̭̼̯͒̾̃͠h̦́ o̤͎̒ͣ͂f̲ͧ̓̀͆ͯ̋ f̈a̳t̠ͯ͝ẻ͔̏͛ a̵͈̖͖̮ͥ̃ͬnͯ́d̀ s̮͙̫̥ț̝͈͊̊ͅa͕̰̟̝͌́́̽̒͠r̸̭̳̰̍́ͮ͘ͅs̀,̟͙̖ I̢͍̱͆̐͜ c̷͎̬̞͚̗̐̊̄ͭ͟a͎̽͑̔̔͂m̪͑̓̀e̼̯̳͓ͣ̏̾ ǐn̨̥̦͛ͥ̊̔t̼o b̨͖͇̻̽͘ȩ̸̯͈̯̯͂̍ͥ͜i̮̇̄͗̿n͍ͫg̑̓ͪ w͙i̢̝̜̰ͥͮͪ̋͞t̴h̦ p̱̘͖̠ͬ͊̔͢͢ŕ̩͈̱̠̉o̧̅ͧ̍ͩ͝p̬̣͕̔̍͆̚h̹̱͐ͅe̡͇͚͗̊͆ͭ̓ͪ̉ċ̴̡̛̬̪̊͢y̑ i̡̟͇͈̲̳͇ͦ̂͊n͔̗͍̮̩͊̓ m̸̨̪̺͕ͧ̀̓̐͝y̙̬̥̻ͨ̌̍ b͇͚̙ͧr̢̳͇̗̝͇͂̂͡éa̵̛͎̼ͯ̑̽ͩ̅͜t̶̮͉̥̞͋ͯ̌ͅh̢̩͔̯͇̐́ͭ̔ a̛̳̜̳̰͎̺̅̅n̮̪ͫͦ͠d̟̦ͪͩ̓ ć̗o̞̰ͦͭͬ͐͞͠n̢̡̡̹̖̰͂͋͊̿͝s̴t͙̠̬ͪ͆͗̑̚͢e͍̭ͥ͒ͭ̍ͩ͑́ļ̸̸̸̟̥̼͉̹͐̚l͇̱̥̣͉̒̂̄͠a̙̚t̷̴̙͚ͩ̀̓i̤͡ó̡͈͙͘nͮ̌͗͌̓̎ͧ̚͢͞͡ṣ̸̖̍ ì̡̝̓̓̌͜ṇͤ̅ͭ͞͠ m̺̬̱̍̇y̓ s͖̖̍ͨ̈́̀́ͅo̤u̢̖̞̻̺ͬ̄̊̓̊̚l̟̘͖̓̌͡—͍ —̧̃ͫ̏a͚̦͉̭͒͋ͧ̉́ͯ̚n̢̲͚̉̄ͤ͑̅ͦ͜d̷͇̮̬̰͒ͥ́ y͔͇ͧ͌̚͟ē̋t̷̡̢̠̰͔̹͋ͩ̑̀,̨̛͕̙̎ ì̵̬̮̿̑t w͕͈͒ͪͩ̾͡͝ä͔̞́ͦs̡͎̯̺̈́̇̈ͣ͞ t̴̨̘͕̬̦͚ͮ̇̓ḩ͉̥̬̰ͫ̀͐̇͝e͍̦͙͕̗ͤ̏ͬ͂̕͟ mͤ͊̄̅̿̚à͍n̈̅͐ͅẗ̶̤͖́ͥ͂͡͡l̵̵̼͕͛ͬͤ͝ę̟̞̺̈́͑̎̋͞ o̴̢̪͑͒ͤͣ̕f̵͇̹̟̄ͬͥͦ̇̚ D͍ͯ̃͛ͦe͇̥̭̊̍̈́a̢̪̜ͦ͊̇͗̀̆ͩt̮͇̻͉̑͋͊͟h̝͈̃͌ i̙̠̻̻͑͒̿ͤ̈́́͊t̟̒̍s͒̊ḙ̬ͯ̈́ľ͍̭̜̘͆ͦ̆ͨf̢̩̼ͪ̏́̌̓͘͟ t̢͙͈̂ͭ̋ͮh̫̤͂aͭ͝t̘̳͎̟̲ͤͭͩ͞͡ w̡̻ͬ̇ȁ̷͙͕̗̥͍̽͗ͤs̵̹̒̽ͤ͘ l̮̎̀̎a̧ͧ̑͋͠ȉ̵̡̛̮͈̋d̀ u͓̮̽ͭp̌ͯ̓̌͋̕o͕̗͆͒̐̇͜n m̴ͫy̵ͪ s͚̫͒̒̔͑͞ḥ͇̦̖͌̽͡o̡͙ͪ̓̏̒̚͡ul̳͕̩d̸̡̝̻̟̬̤͗́͝e̢̹͗͡r͔̰̹̺ͥ̐s̗.̛͉̰̯͍ͭ̓̈́͢ͅ T̷̷̛͇͔̳̤ͨͫ͒o t͕͠h̭̭ë͈́ͬ i̙̠̓ͭͩ̈g̱n̿͛ͮ̓ͦor͍̂ͮ͟͞ạ̣̘̄̌nt̶̻̗̬̮̹̉̑,̱ͥ̚ I̢͚͋̾͢͡ â̧̭̼̔̽͗͟m͠ c͑ͦ̊͟a̭͓̜̐̏̍̕͞l̳̔ḽed̦̘̯ͬ̇ T̶̢̻͖̼ͪ̓ͅr̮̹̲̭ͤ̀̽͒͟a͙̯̘̔ȉ͎̠t̵̵̖͊̅̌́̍̚͢ͅo̲̺ͫ͊͗ͤ͞͠ȓ̷̪͕̤̍͐̊.̴̢̳̒̇̔̎ T̸̤̄ͮ͋̍ͪó t̙̫͂̃ͩḩ̖͒̽̿ę̶̘̾ͥ̈́ h͉ő̦p͈̜e̷̦̞̗̋̂̀̓f̺̿u̻̭̝̪̎͒ͥ̕l̲̕,̵̪͎̅ͬ̌͆ͨ̎̅ I͌̐ͧ͌͒͝ a̢͕̻̬̙͆͆͗͞m̸̳̓̑͆ t̰̗͍̿̽h͈̦͈̤̹̭̾͊e͍͑͌ Rͬ̌ẻ̢̗̗͙̺̰͓̗̈́ͅb̧̖̯ͭͬͩͧ̑̑ͬẻ̩͉̊́̐̏ĺ̷͎̼̒̽ w͍̤ͮ̑̈́ho̬ ḍ̷͌̆̅̆͢á̮̻ͪͮ͐̆r̹͚̼̊́̾͑ȇ͚̹̈́̃͆̐ͫ͢͝s d͎́ͯ͠e̵͎̮͋̈́ͪ̆ͧ̑f̱̭͍̙́̋͛ͦ͢ỹ̢̯͖̭͑̆ t̍́̌ͣͅh̭ͬ͗͌e̪̩̥̎̄̾ͦ̇ͣ͝ h̅ͫȩ͎̩͑͆͛ȁ̬͑͗͊v̾̉͟e_̡̢͈̞̎͐̍ͧͅñ̴͘͞s̱̯̠͂ͯ͡.̶̶̫̈́̽ͫ͗͌ͧ͂͟ I̛̹̯̻ͨ̀͂͠ ą̷̹̭ͬ̔̄̃ͨ͞ͅḿ̤ͥ̃ t̵̞̂̔͐̍͆͂̍́h̨̖̲̋́ͥ͠e̷͎̣͔ͬͯ̕͟ P̫͈̿̍r͖o͎̯̲ͤ͂͒p̟͕͒ͫ͑h̡͍̮͐̆ͨ͜e̜̓̚͝ṭ͚͐̿̀͗ w͖͟h͓o̖͚̒ͧͤ̆͢͞ͅ h̟ͫa͊ͤs̸̵̨͎̥̰̽̈́̇ ȇ̴͎̺̪͍͉̯ͨ͒n̢̩͇̎͋du̶̞̩ͦͨͦ̎̇̆ͮr̦̭͋ȩd͙̱̠̯͉͎̖͐ͨ͜ t̜̣ͪ͗̿͆̉̂͡͠h̳͇̱͚͐̆̉͡ę͕̥̘͙͛͐͊̾ e̜̞̱ͣ̋r̮̓̄̆ȁ͙͂s̷͕̝̎̓́̒̃ ǒ̶̵̙͔̙͝͝f̪̗̪̿̓̋͢ t̸̍̍̕h̩̗͍̔̀ͤ͒e̪̪̤̬ͩ͝ b̯͓ͨy̺̥ͬͮ́͂͜g̙̞̘͖̅͡ơ͓͑̽̄̇̑͗͢n͎͘͝e̟̿,̧̻̃́̔ͪ͞ ȁ̜̫ͨn̵͖̜ͧd̛̮̬́͋ͩ͆̑̊̑͐ s̲̬̈ͨ̍ͣ͘͜t͖̣̦̣͛̅͆͌ͦ̄i̶͉̳ͦ̈́l̶̳̇ͧ͢͢l͗͋̈ͦ͗̕͠, I̠̭̖̭̞̩̎̅̕ w͉̌̆̌̊͡͝ã̷̝̻̫̠͆ͫ̑̾l̏ḳ̡͙͆ f̩̹̗̱͉͐o͍̥̮ͨ̿̐̍̏͟r͚͉̳̋̿ͯͬwͫaŕ̩̺̯̓̀ͫͮ̽͟͢d̤̮̖̬̖̐̾̒̎͘͝—̼͊̉t̪͈̖̬̲̓ͮo̻̘̰͌̇͋ͦ͑͠w̡ͮͣͅa͙̥ͣ̊̔ŕ͂ͬd̴͍̯͈͇̘̈ͬ̊͢ ą̢̧̺͙̦͐̐̂͗ ḑ̷̩̑̓̓̉ͬ͌̈́i̘̔̏̃͑̎͟s̄̑̚ṭ̂a͙̻̔̑̃̑ͪn̺̙͔̮ͬ̐̔̈́ͮ͞t̊ͩ f͉͇̝͟͠͡ṷ̬ͮ̕͞ṭ͌̐̑ur̡̫̱̓͂͐ĕ̩ č̖̦̅̓̎l͍̍͆̾͟͝ȩ̪ͤ̔̓̿ả̶͔ǹ̼̄͒ͩse̡̬̱̎͑d̍ oͭͯf̡̞̫̀ͪ̈͒ͯ̚ f̉͊̓ǐ̸̜͈̽l̦ͮt̳̫͓͚̅̐̈́ͪh̯̫̋͜͞͠͡,̢͕̼̜̙ w̪ͧ̑̏h̼͎͑̐ͨͫ͗̄͘͘͡ere r̨͍͕̣ͫ̀͋o̖̣ͪ̇̈́ͪt̪̬ and̸̸̵̲̲̗ͬ̀ͯ̕ c̨̰͔͈͓ͣo͛̑r̟̞͙̪̳͊̈ͨ̾r͎̰͍̻͓͂̄u̞͇̗̎̎͠pt͇̻̃̓̕͝i͕̽ȏ̢̻̚n̦̩̻̰͑̔̃̾͌ s̥̣̒ͮ̃́ḥ̳̎̆a̒̑͠lͥl nő̰̬̌͛ l̸̷͍̮͍̙̓͑̈́͘ọ́n̛̩͍ͬ̆̊g̢̲͖̖̊ͧͭ͌ẹ̙̦̈͒̉ͭ͞r͐ͥ re͑̀͐̕m̳͂̉͆͢ải̸̙̺̳͆ͤ̓ͣ̇ͦn̸̺͎̭͕̍̅.̂̊"̜̞̇̀ͨ͛̎̏͛͟͡

The woman spoke with majesty as words of an unknown language were spoken. The air vibrated, and the mind of the poor man was on the brink of collapse.

He felt as if he heard something he wasn’t supposed to and almost fell from his chair.

Illyan barely held on as he tried to listen but could not hear anything meaningful.

The words were so clear yet unintelligible, as it felt heretical to try to understand them.

Yet, he caught a few words.

Words seemingly not related yet brimming with deeper meaning beneath them.

Otherworlder, freedom, traitor, witch, soul, future, and corruption were resonating within Illyan the most.

‘Otherworlder? She isn’t from this world? Or rather, there are more worlds? Witch? Corruption? What does all of that mean?’

Those were the few words that he barely heard, as most of her words were just a strange grating and unintelligible whispers full of chaotic energy in his ears, which made him wonder what she was trying to say and why he could not hear it.

But the few things he understood made him realize that she was not merely strong.

She was someone beyond mortal understanding.

To him, it just sounded too outlandish to make him think any deeper about it, and he stopped pondering about it.

But the woman, no, Zephyr, didn’t seem surprised at his confusion as she just shook her head helplessly.

“Don’t mind it. It is better that way. Maybe you will understand one day or not.”

“At this very moment, I am just Zephyr, which is the name I had in this life while it lasted.”

There was a certain bittersweet undertone in her voice as she pursed her lips.

At last, she could only sigh, which caused an ethereal scene to unfold in front of Illyan’s eyes.

Despite all of this unexpected revelation, Illyan was taking this conversation quite calmly though, as he took a very deep breath.

He took in the entire scene of stars dancing around him as if he was coursing through the galaxies of the universe before he turned his attention to the woman in front of him.

If before he could only vaguely feel the imposing presence of hers, then now he was sure.

Either she was a master of deception that managed to fully deceive him, or she was truly a being beyond his understanding.

“I… I don’t understand.”

However, this made Illyan all the more confused.

“What does all of this mean? Are you saying that you were a real being and not just my imagination all along and lived in the Bakur Tribe all that time? Or did you do something? Because I am sure that no one really remembers the girl with the name Zephyr.”

In the end, he could only question her authenticity.

Of course, whether this would cause some negative results or not was going through Illyan’s mind.

This was not the Zephyr he knew. The behavior was similar yet fundamentally different.

She was an unknown being that was messing with him within his own mind. The place that was supposed to be his turf.

‘Damn it, I should have questioned the idea of her being just my imagination from the beginning.’

No matter how fucked up his childhood was, he was far from having hallucinations.

So why did he take it in stride that she was just his imagination that was feeding off his trauma?

“I can’t tell you everything since I am being restricted here, but I will tell you the most important thing.” Zephyr said with a knowing smile.

Illyan dismissed his inner thoughts as he wanted to hear what she had to say.

“I have a mission to accomplish in this place. However, there are some beings that don’t want me to succeed. Because of that, I was hiding all this time. I became Zephyr of the Bakur Tribe to achieve what was necessary.”

Her eyes flashed with weight behind her words.

“But if I did just that, they would find out. So I had no choice but to die. Die and become part of you who would later on help me. I erased all my traces and became only a hollow echo of your mind. I know it may upset you, but I had no choice.”

She replied, her tone like still water—deep, and easy to overlook considering the things she just said.

“The fact that I had someone squatting inside of my head is not something that I like to hear, but I am more interested in information and benefits. How did you become Zephyr? Did you kill the original and replace her? Or did she never exist in the first place? What was your mission? And who are ‘they’?”

Illyan shot at her all the questions that he had on his mind as he stared into her eyes looking for an answer.

Of course, he didn’t find anything and almost lost himself in them again.

Meanwhile, Zephyr just smiled dotingly as she waved her hand.

“We are quite rash, aren’t we? But well, you were always like this. That’s also what I like about you. But I will warn you. Not everyone will put up with this kind of rude questioning.”

“You were the one who sent me here, so put up with it.” But Illyan just shrugged indifferently.

“Fair enough. Since we are here, showing it to you will be faster.” She said as she waved her hand to move the stars around them.

They started to blur as they blended together with their colors, creating a canvas full of meaning.

Soon, there was a scene of the small girl that Illyan recognized. It was Zephyr when she was younger.

She was sitting there calmly as she was exchanging the bandages.

What surprised Illyan the most was the fact that he was sitting next to her. Or rather, his younger self.

“Is this a memory?” He asked incredulously as he looked around.

Darkness dissipated and the table in front of him disappeared. It was as if they became part of the memory as they stood there.

Of course, they were fully ignored as their bodies were translucent, with even the falling snow falling through their bodies.

“That’s right. It is right before the name Zephyr disappears from the annals of the Bakur Tribe.”

The younger Zephyr spoke with his younger self, but he couldn’t hear perfectly as only whispers could be heard.

However, he vaguely remembered this from his own memory.

‘Strange. Why is the memory so vague?’

As Illyan thought, the conversation between the two ended as Zephyr left.

The scene ended as the world before them shifted unnaturally before they reappeared in one of the tents.

There, Zephyr was kneeling in front of the altar as she put one long dark hair and one shorter blond hair on the plate as she was murmuring something.

‘Was that my hair?!’ Illyan gawked as he turned at the real Zephyr.

Before Illyan could say anything, the hair flared up in a golden flame.

The flame was small yet gave off a strange pressure to Illyan, who could not feel anything else in this memory.

‘What is that…’

Suddenly, the Zephyr that was kneeling in front of the altar reached out her hand and touched the flame.

It immediately swallowed her fingers as it started to spread.

But no reaction could be seen on her face.

“The flame is quite impure, but it should be enough.”

Suddenly, he could hear a voice of hers as she immolated herself.

However, the girl who feared her leg amputation was nowhere to be seen as she smiled despite her body smouldering itself.

Her torso, now in flames, turned around as she stood up.

And with precision, she turned towards the place Illyan and the real Zephyr stood.

“My future self. And Illyan. Are you watching right now?”

With a toothy smile that grew grotesque thanks to the flames, she greeted Illyan with warmth.

Unfortunately, with a chill going through his body, Illyan didn’t feel good at all…